The results of liver transplantation in Slovak children
Jana Kosnáčová1, Jarmila Hornová Orcid.org 2, Ľudmila Podracká1, Patrick Gerner3, Simone Kathemann3
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Summary
The authors retrospectively summarise the short and long-term results of liver transplantation in Slovak children in the period from January 2002 to August 2015. The surgical procedure itself is performed at transplantation centres abroad, while the pre-/posttransplant management is provided by the 1st Paediatric Department of the Children´s University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Hospital in Bratislava. The vast majority of children were transplanted in the paediatric centre in Essen, and recently some older patients underwent LTx in Prague. Pre-transplant management comprises a confirmation of the primary disorder, including histology and molecular-genetic testing, special imaging examinations, PEDL score establishment and placement on the waiting list. The post-transplant management focuses on immunosuppression monitoring, on preventing rejection and on the monitoring of long-term infectious and non-infectious complications. Results: Thirty-eight liver transplantations in 32 children were performed between January 2002 and August 2015. Biliary atresia was the most common indication. In our centre we are currently monitoring 22 children with liver transplants aged from 9 months to 18 years. One patient aged 19 was referred to a hepatologist for adults, one boy lives with his parents abroad and is in the care of a foreign transplantation centre. The yearly survival rate of the children is 88.4%, eight transplanted children (25%) have died over the 13 years. Conclusion: Each year, 2 to 4 new cases of children requiring a liver transplant are registered in Slovakia. Short-term and long-term graft survival is excellent even in the youngest age groups, allowing for the child’s valuable recovery.
Keywords
acute liver failure, biliary atresia, chronic liver failure, child, living donorTo read this article in full, please register for free on this website.
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Literature
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